Components, such as hinges, are integral parts of automobiles. Hinges are typically made of steel/iron and are bolted to the body frame of an automobile and the inner sides of doors, in a body shop. After the bolting step, the whole assembly with closures, also referred to as Body in White (BIW), is taken through paint processes such as phosphating, electro-deposition, top-coat and the like, which helps to prevent corrosion of the automobile parts.
During the paint process, it is observed that the protective coating does not reach the mating surfaces between the hinge and the automobile part. These mating surfaces, when exposed to environmental factors such as moisture, get corroded over a period of time.
Various methods are known for preventing corrosion of the mating surfaces of components. One such method involves the application of a zinc foil on the mating surfaces. Although the process is simple, it is expensive. Another such method involves the use of epoxy sealers or spot weldable sealers between the mating surfaces. These sealers act as barriers between the mating surfaces and the environment, thereby preventing galvanic type corrosion. The use of sealers is more cost effective than the use of zinc foils, however, these spot sealers have to be applied manually, which makes the process laborious and time consuming and often results in an inconsistent end product. Also, the application of spot sealers leads to marks on the components, such as automobile body frame and automobile parts, which is not desirable.
There is, therefore, a need to envisage a method and/or a device for preventing corrosion of the mating surfaces of components, which mitigates the drawbacks associated with the conventional methods of corrosion prevention.